Whine while running - tower only

[OutbackV2008]

Hey Mr. Analog,

I do not have the zone controller installed yet but I intend to do it once I resolve my noise concerns. The zone controller is the dual zone ws-420. The alternator/whatever whine is more prominent in the towers than the boat. Towers are wet sounds 10" hlcd's but boat are factory.
The head unit is a Kenwood and uses the factory harness. In ignorance, that was intentional on my part.
From the sounds of it I need to re-route the ground and the power to the same location as the amplifiers as a preliminary investigation. Having said that, I would like to continue using the factory switch.

Can I reroute the ground and the power from the head unit without disturbing the switch wiring? From your post above it sounds like I only need to shift the yellow (because I fact the yellow carries the power load not the red) and the ground to match the amps and I'll be good.

Any help would be much appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[David Analog]

OutbackV2008,
All correct. It's pointless for me to explain a bunch of steps, the whys and the logic, when we already know the answer.
The source electronics must come off the factory harness and share a respective (separate + & -), common point with ALL other audio components in the audio path. You can use an interrupt relay off the key or switch so that you can maintain the keyed or switched function but circumvent the key or switch power.
It's normal for the tower HLCD speakers to have a greater noise level because they are 10 times more sensitive in acoustic terms.

[MLA]

Outback,

You may not need to reroute the head-units yellow B+ and black GND, but you absolutely need to make sure they share the same battery source as the amps and any other audio gear. If the ACR system was added after the fact, you could have easily split those sources up between the new house battery and the original battery that is now the cranking. So trace out the harness and see where things go. Given what described in your posts, I do suspect that the audio gear is drawing from both batteries, not the new house battery solely.

[JeffCook3]

Alright, here's how I'm powered up. Everything is coming from the same power source correct?

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[David Analog]

Jeff,
I re-read your OP. Did you indicate that you still have noise on the tower speakers with the input RCAs of the tower amplifier disconnected at the amplifier end?

[JeffCook3]

Yes David that is correct.

[David Analog]

Okay, I originally overlooked that because of the 'DC' abbreviation.
Open RCAs can still pick up noise. So use 1/2 a short RCA cable to short the left input to the right input and try again with the gain at no more than 60%. You should be noise free. Let's assume you still have noise.
1) Triple check that amplifier ground.
2) Disconnect both outputs. Use a 2-conductor wire to test a substitute speaker (any 'other' speaker) laying on the floor. If you have noise then send back the amplifier. If the noise disappears then the issue is with a) the tower harness, or b) one or both of the speakers.
3) So next isolate an existing tower speaker by using a new harness wire. If the noise disappears you likely have a wire strand touching something it shouldn't in the tower. Test the tower for voltage with the tower system playing. The presence of voltage would indicate a wire to tower short. Also test the tower for continuity incase it is grounded. The tower should be totally neutral in both cases (pos. and neg.).
3) If the noise is still there then isolate one tower speaker at a time. It's unlikely but a crossover inductor that is open at one end could become an antenna for EMI or RFI.
4) Temporarily change the physical location of the tower amplifier in case it is too close to a strong electromagnetic field, like a battery for example.